by The Editorial Board, USATODAY

by The Editorial Board, USATODAY

Most Americans are at least vaguely aware that ObamaCare will require almost every citizen to have health insurance, but that starts to get real a week from Tuesday. The mandate itself doesn't take effect until January, but anyone who doesn't already get insurance at work or through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid will be able to start signing up for private policies under the new law on Oct. 1.

Expect trouble. The health exchanges where people will sign up are brand new, and like anything this big, glitches are inevitable. Exchanges intended to be friendly online stores will be less seamless than Expedia or Amazon, at least at first.

And despite the fact that ObamaCare has been law for more than three years, people still don't know much about the exchanges. Some authorities have withheld public service announcements until people can sign up. Shamefully, many Republican governors and state legislatures have tried to make the law fail by refusing to run exchanges (forcing the feds to step in) or in some cases purposely making it hard for people to find out what their options are.

For all the noise, it's easy to overestimate the impact of the exchanges. The vast majority of Americans won't need them. Of the 232 million non-elderly people projected to have health coverage next year, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that just 7 million - 3% - will buy policies on the exchanges. But it's also easy to underestimate the importance of the exchanges, since they'll be the single most visible part of the new law and something anyone could need at some point in their lives. This is where people who have been blocked from getting insurance because of pre-existing conditions will finally be able to get coverage.

ObamaCare critics have criticized the exchanges for being unfair and expensive, especially for young people. A quick look shows those criticisms are overblown. Premiums will be higher in some states for some policies, but it's crucial to make fair comparisons:

Many pre-ObamaCare insurance policies are cheaper because only the healthiest people can buy them. Fixing that problem was a major reason for health reform.

Another reason some policies are cheap is that they don't cover much and they cap out at a fixed amount, so a policyholder in serious medical trouble can run out of insurance just when it's most important. ObamaCare sets standards for "essential health benefits" and does away with caps.